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Life beyond Lola

PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

Zimbly Lola Anuradha Menon

Like a true star, she shows up more than an hour late for the interview. Anuradha Menon, better known for her ‘Beauty on duty’ alter ego Lola Kutty on Channel V, more than makes up for her tardiness with her intelligent and forthcoming answers.

In true Lola style, jasmine flowers adorn her curly hair; she glitters in gold jewellery and wears a green-gold sari. But, without her glasses and trademark Malayalam accent, she , sounds more Anu and less Lola. She calls her fans “really sweet people” and reveals that it was very exciting when she got her first hate mail in five years a few months ago. The writer very graciously “hoped God would forgive her.” Ask about her ever-faithful, gaudily-dressed assistant Alex, and she discloses that his real name is Basil Alex, and the reason why he never talks on the show is because he doesn’t know a word of Malayalam, and is East Indian.

Speaking about the lack of female comediennes in India, Anu, who is not afraid to be funny and quirky, says: “a funny woman is not seen as heroine material.” According to her, a funny woman is portrayed in films as fat, loud and unattractive and always chasing the hero. She says women are expected to look perfect all the time, reason why very few women go in for comic roles.

For someone who has a quip on almost any subject under the sun, Anu says that that, in India, religion is something that can never be joked about. She regrets the fact that while in America you can mock a celebrity or even the President and have them on your show the next day with no hard feelings, it seems impossible in India. “We lack a sense of humour when it comes to ourselves,” she adds. However, Anu and her Lola are slowly changing all that. The talented actress has now taken up a role in Pritish Nandy Communication’s “Raat Gayi Baat Gayi”, in which she plays Vinay Pathak’s wife, and a part in “Quick Gun Murugan”, where she has an item number with Rajendra Prasad to a song with the “moving” lyrics — “One little flower, will you be my lover!”

But, Lola is not planning to hang up her Kanjeevarams anytime soon. Anu feels Lola has a little more left in her, and she will soon be seen in a new season on Channel V.

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